Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Simmonds has issued 14,873 lifetime decisions, offering a significant data set to observe trends. While the current office approval rate stands at 66%, Judge Simmonds' latest reporting period shows a 53% approval rate. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting your specific outcome.
Office- and national-level breakdowns of fully favorable vs denial rates aren't currently published by SSA in the per-office disposition data. The judge's own breakdown is the detail we have today.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Simmonds's docket. Annual rates fluctuate with the mix of cases SSA assigns; the longer-run pattern is more informative than any single year.
Decision pattern
Over 9 years on the bench, Judge Simmonds has shown a varied decision pattern. After an initial period of lower approval rates, the data indicates a steady climb, peaking at 60% in 2023 before stabilizing in the most recent reporting cycle. This trajectory suggests that while the lifetime average is 51%, recent outcomes reflect a more nuanced approach to case evidence. The current trend indicates a consistent application of standards that aligns with the judge's established history.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Simmonds's bench. Judge-specific preparation guidance requires a corpus of public Appeals Council decisions involving each judge, which we haven't built yet.
- Bring a clean treating-physician record. Longitudinal primary-care or specialist notes spanning the disability period, with consistent symptom documentation, are typically the strongest evidence at hearing. A single month's records usually aren't enough.
- Don't rely on consultative exams alone. If your medical evidence is built primarily around a one-time CE finding, expect detailed questioning. Supplement with treating-source statements where possible.
- Prepare for daily-activity questions. Have honest, specific answers about a typical day. Answers that conflict with the medical record (in either direction) tend to hurt credibility.
- Expect transferable-skills probing. A vocational expert will usually testify about jobs available to someone with your limitations. Your representative should be prepared to cross-examine.
Hearing with Judge Simmonds? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Baltimore hearing office
The Baltimore Hearing Office serves you throughout Maryland and the surrounding region. With a bench of 6 judges, this office manages a high volume of cases, currently maintaining an office-wide approval rate of 66%. You can expect a formal process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the Baltimore Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your specific judge is essentially assigned at random. Across the Baltimore Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 46% to 81%. Because of this variance, understanding the office-wide environment is as important as reviewing an individual judge's history. You can find more information on the office's general trends on the Baltimore hearing office page.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
SSDI hearing approval rates — represented vs. on your own
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.